Killer Plants and their Side Effects

8 Deadly plants and their effects

As we all know, not all plants are safe to consume.  Some have terrible effects on the nervous system that can cause many ill symptoms and may even cause death.  In the

U.S.A. alone, there are around 70,000 people poisoned each year from different types of deadly plants.  We are going to only cover 7 of these lethal plants in this article, each of which have some interesting traits.

The Crying Fungus

This plant is known as the Sweater Mushroom (Clitocybe Dealbata).  This mushroom is found mainly in Europe and North America and symptoms include sweating profusely, drooling and may cause you to cry uncontrollably.  These wonderful side effects may be followed by blurred vision, diarrhea, vomiting and severe abdominal cramping.  You for sure don’t want to order these on your pizza!

Plant that causes Paralysis

Known as Coyotillo (Karwinskia Humboldtiana), this deadly dude is a flowering shrub in the buckthorn family.  This shrub is native to Texas and Mexico. It offers some berries that contain deadly neurotoxins that can cause a slow and deadly paralysis.  Live stock have been known to consume these only to find they weren’t good like they thought they would be.

The Plant that Killed Lincoln’s Mother

This plant is known as White Snakeroot (Ageratina Altissima).  In 1818 Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died after drinking milk from a cow that had consumed White Snakeroot.  Each part of this plant contains tremetol.  It is a lethal liquor that will cause tremors in livestock before it finally kills them.

Cleopatra Nearly Died from this Plant

Strychnine Tree (Nux Vomica).  Egyptian ruler Cleopatra had intended on killing herself by means of ingesting part of the Strychnine Tree.  After seeing her servant suffer from intense seizures, stiffness and convulsions after consuming the plant.  She later decided to follow through with her plans by using a poisonous asp instead.  Her servant was fully conscious during the episode.  What a terrible way to go that would be.

Dumb Struck by a Plant

This plant is known as Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia Amoena).  This is a very popular office plant, in fact I used to have one of these, and they are a very nice looking plant.  But the plant does contain a sap, which if chewed, may cause drooling, swelling and in extreme cases can paralyze the vocal chords.  Needless to say I never chewed any of the leaves on mine.  Thanks goodness!

The Plant used to Execute Socrates

I’m sure most of you have heard of this one at one time or another. It’s called Hemlock (Conium Maculatum).  This is a highly poisonous member of the carrot family.  It contains a neurotoxin that will result in death due to a lack of oxygen to the heart and brain.  Even sampling just a few leaves may result in death.  When the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399BC, his punishment was carried out by drinking a mixture that contained hemlock.

This Plant Carries a Lethal Weapon

Probably the most lethal plant out of the whole list, Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus Communis).  Castor oil has been used for centuries as a medicine and even as punishment back in the day.  But the seeds of this plant contain a poison called ricin.  This poison has bee used by the Soviet KGB to carry out murder and assassinations.  There have also been ideas of using this for chemical warfare.  It’s said that only a milligram is needed to kill an adult!

A Plant that is a Danger to Mother Nature Herself

The carnivorous pitcher plant may eat small animals if they get in her wake.  The plant’s inner wall secretes a nectarlike substance to attract insects and on a couple of instances it attracted birds.  Inside the pitcher plant there is a pool of enzymes and acid that is at the base of the pitcher.  This is all very erosive and can devour a chunk of meat in a matter of a few days.

 
This is a bad news list of foliage my friends.  I’m sure most of these aren’t as easy to come by as walking out into your back yard.  But some are very well known and are closer than you think.  Think I’ll be holding the mushrooms from my pizza from now on, just in case…